Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head, particularly a putter, with one or more alignment features that are vertically centered on a back surface of the head opposite the striking face.
Description of the Related Art
The prior art discloses many different types of alignment aids disposed on golf club heads, and on putters in particular. In fact, nearly all putters in the marketplace include some form of horizontal alignment aid, usually in the form of a paint-filled feature on the topline of the putter head, which is circled on the prior art putter shown in FIG. 1. These alignment aids are intended to give golfers a visual reference or gauge for the putter's face center along a horizontal axis, because ball speed and sidespin noticeably change if a golfer hits a ball with the heel or toe side of the putter face, i.e., a horizontal mishit, instead of with the face center. If a golfer is able to hit a golf ball with the center face of a putter, the distance and roll of the golf ball will be more reliable and predictable.
Similarly, ball speed, backspin, and topspin are all negatively affected if a golfer mishits the golf ball vertically, i.e., above or below the center of the putter face. Unfortunately, the prior art, including U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,526 to McCarthy, does not address this problem or provide optimal results. Therefore, there is a need for a putter alignment system that allows a golfer to vertically align the putter face with a golf ball when taking a shot.